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Sunday, December 25, 2016

How to Find Real Peace This Christmas (Part 2) BY RICK WARREN — DECEMBER 24 Saturday

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6b ESV).

Yesterday, we began looking at what it will take to find real, lasting peace with God, with yourself, and with others this Christmas season. You need to take three steps to find it. First, you need to reach a moment of clarity.

Second, you must express an attitude of humility.

God blesses humility. The Bible says in James 4:6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (ESV).

Grace is the power you need to have peace in your life. God opposes the prideful, but he gives grace to the humble. You must exchange your vanity for his serenity.

I have been walking with God for more than 50 years. I’ve learned that God is not impressed with my whining. It doesn’t move him.

Humility, on the other hand, touches God’s heart. When I humbly ask God for help, he opens the floodgates of Heaven and pours out his mercy. Humbly admitting that he is God and you’re not is a great antidote for stress.

Isaiah 26:12 says, “Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you” (NLT, second edition).

When was the last time you said that to God? The only reason you’re alive right now is because God made you to love you. If God hadn’t wanted to love you, you wouldn’t exist. You were made by God and for God. And God wants you to learn to love him back.

If you want peace — real peace — you need to come to God and say, “Lord, I just admit that all I am and all I have — everything, really — you hold it all together, not me. You created my life. I humbly admit I need you.”

You see, we’re all broken. You’re broken. I’m broken. Other than Jesus, every person who has ever lived has been broken. It’s why you don’t have peace. It’s why you walk around with stress. It’s why you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. It’s why you can’t solve all of your problems.

To have peace, you need to humbly admit to God you’re broken. You can’t find peace without doing that. It’s impossible.

The Bible gives us a practical way to express humility in Philippians 4:6: “Don’t worry about anything.”

It’s one of the most difficult verses in the Bible to obey. We break it every day of our lives. Worry is assuming responsibility that God never meant for you to have.

But consider this: If God tells us not to worry about anything, that means he will help us to stop worrying so we can have peace. God is for you on this!